Pork belly and bacon come from the same cut of meat, but often taste very different. While bacon is cured, smoked and crispy, pork belly is uncured unsmoked, and tender. If you’ve cooked up some fresh pork belly only to find it disappointingly lacking the salty, smoky flavor of bacon, there are a few tricks to make it taste more bacon-y.
Why Pork Belly Doesn’t Taste Like Bacon
There are a couple key differences that account for the radically different flavors of pork belly versus bacon
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Curing – Bacon is cured, while pork belly is fresh. Curing enhances flavor and preserves the meat.
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Smoking – Bacon is smoked, infusing aroma and taste. Pork belly is not smoked.
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Fat content – The higher fat ratio in pork belly changes the texture from crispy bacon
So while they originate from the same cut, pork belly’s mild flavor and unusual texture make it taste nothing like smoky, salty bacon.
Tips for Cooking Pork Belly
If you’re underwhelmed by pork belly’s bland taste, here are some easy ways to make it more bacon-like:
Fry in Bacon Fat
Cooking pork belly in rendered bacon fat is the easiest trick. As the pork belly crisps up in smoky bacon grease, it soaks up that signature bacon flavor.
Save bacon drippings to use for frying up pork belly slices. If you don’t have any on hand, cook a few strips of bacon first, then fry the pork belly in the leftover grease.
Add Smoked Salt
Smoked salts infuse a smoky aroma reminiscent of bacon. Sprinkle it generously on the pork belly before or during cooking.
Look for smoked salt varieties like hickory smoked sea salt. Regular table salt will still improve flavor, but smoked salt gives the biggest bacon boost.
Increase Crispiness
Getting the pork belly extra crispy helps mimic the texture of bacon. Fry slices on medium high heat until very browned and brittle.
Blotting excess moisture before cooking also aids crispiness. For even more crunch, try baking the pork belly after pan frying.
Play Up Umami
Umami-rich ingredients like soy sauce, fish sauce, and miso paste boost savoriness similar to cured, smoked bacon.
Try marinating pork belly slices in a blend of these before cooking. Or brush the cooked pork belly with an umami-packed glaze.
Add Aromatics
Garlic, onion, paprika, cayenne and black pepper will all punch up pork belly’s mild flavor.
Coat raw pork belly in a rub blend before cooking. Or sprinkle them on near the end for a burst of aroma.
Slice Thinner
For bacon-style texture, slice the pork belly as thin as possible before cooking. Thinner slices crisp up better in the pan.
Aim for 1/8 inch thick slices. Partially freezing the pork belly makes it easier to slice thinly.
Recipes to Make Pork Belly Taste Like Bacon
Here are some tasty recipe ideas to put these tips into action:
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Pan Fried Pork Belly – Fry thin slices in bacon grease with smoked salt.
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Crispy Baked Pork Belly – Coat fatty slices with umami paste before baking.
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Spicy Pork Belly Burnt Ends – Simmer cubed pork belly in a smoky, spicy barbecue sauce.
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Pork Belly Lettuce Wraps – Top bibb lettuce with crispy pork belly, hoisin and sriracha.
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Ramen Carbonara – Use crispy pork belly instead of bacon for an Asian twist on classic carbonara.
With a little creativity in the kitchen, fresh pork belly can deliver plenty of smoky, salty bacon flavor. Next time you get your hands on this cut of meat, try out these tricks for making pork belly taste like bacon.
There are few single ingredients that are so universally adored as bacon. And the only thing better than bacon is homemade bacon.
Curing your own bacon, at least once, is a great experience for any meat enthusiast. It takes a while (compared to running to the store and buying some), but the end result is well worth it because you feel like you’ve accomplished something and got something tasty in return. Furthermore, it lets you decide what goes into the bacon, how good the pork is, and of course, the flavoring and smoke level. Not only that, but you can make the slices as thick or thin as you want.
There are a few things you’ll need to make your own bacon. Firstly, curing salt (aka Prague powder) which can be bought at better grocery and specialty food stores or ordered online. Second, you’ll need a smoker of some kind (because obviously that’s how you get the smoke flavor!). A pellet grill is perfect for this task because it’s fabulously easy to use, and will only take a couple of hours. I prefer fruit woods like Apple or Cherry to pair with pork, but of course you can go for something stronger like Hickory. Finally, you may want to consider investing in a great quality thermometer. I use and recommend the Thermapen, and also used a Dot to monitor the temp of the smoker.
This recipe serves as the core foundation for a bunch of different types and flavors you can try. All you need to do is adjust some of the ingredients and experiment with additions. You can make your own signature bacon with brown sugar, molasses, garlic, bourbon, different types of wood, and a lot of other things. Let’s be honest: it’s going to be a really tasty process of trial and error.
It goes without saying that once you have all that bacon, you can use it to make magical meals like these:
How To Make The Best Homemade Bacon
Does pork belly taste like bacon?
The flavor was mild, like a pork chop. It didn’t fry into a crisp, ripply ribbon like bacon, but into a chewy piece of… pork. Pork belly — also known as side pork belly or side pork — is what you make bacon out of. First, you cure it. Then, you smoke it. Those two critical steps make the world of difference between the two.
Is Bacon made from pork belly?
Bacon is made from pork belly, but pork belly is not bacon. It tastes more like other cuts of pork on its own. When making smoked bacon at home, you’ll need to cure the bacon before smoking it. The cure, seasonings, and wood smoke are what give bacon the delicious flavor you are looking to make.
Is bacon cured or sliced pork belly?
As stated above, bacon is cured and sliced pork belly. It is cured using specific salts usually containing nitrates or nitrites and smoked to help with the curing process. Side pork is simply sliced pork belly that has had nothing done to it.
Can you make bacon if you buy pork belly?
If you find a good deal on pork belly, you can make bacon for way cheaper. This obviously depends on the quality of your pork belly vs the quality of bacon you buy. You can make very high quality bacon for regular bacon prices. You can play with the flavoring and cure to make unique bacon. I love showing off my homemade bacon to houseguests.
What does a side pork belly look like?
The ruddy, streaky strips looked like bacon, but they weren’t vacuum-sealed in a branded package like bacon. Instead, the side pork belly was packaged like the other fresh cuts around it: on a white tray wrapped round with clear cling wrap, labeled by the pound onsite.
Are pork belly strips a good alternative to Bacon?
These pork belly strips are delicious as an alternative to bacon for breakfast or brunch along with some scrambled eggs and fresh fruit. They taste great on their own with your favorite side, a simple salad, or layered on a bun with coleslaw and fries.